The Republican journal., 1887-09-15

I
| CrEENANAcA, Aug. 1887. Travellers in this
queer State of Morelos should not fail to visit
the cavern of Cacahtami!pa, whose actual
wonders surplss anything found by Sinbad the
Sailor or all descriptions of the tabled abodes
of the Genii. 1t lies in that rugged mountain
range about thirty miles southwest of the
State Capital, Cuernavaca, and is of unknow
extent, having as yet been explored only to the
distance of ten or twelve miles.
| Until comparatively recent period the great
cave was known only to tie Indians aIone,-
or if the early Spaniards had heard anything
| about it, its existence was entirely forgotten.
Some fifty years ago, a noted criminal for whom
the country was being secured, sought it as Il
place of refuge, and in hunting for him the
cavern was re-liscovered. Although in former
days it may have been used as Il place OF wor-
ship, by Toltecs, Tlahuicas, or some other
vanished people, superstitious fears have kept
the modern Indians of many generations as
far away from it as possible: since all the
natives roundabout firmly believe that within
| its shining recesscs
THE EVIL SPIRIT HAS HIS DWELLING.
in the form of goat, with horns and long
beard, who guards the entrance to his subter-
ranean abode. And, true enough. just inside
that vast and gloomy palace there is such Il
figure, surrounded by many other mysterious,
gigantic and most extraordinary forms, which
it is scarcely possible to believe are only the
fantastic productions of the water that, through
slow centuries, has been trickling. drop by
drop, from the lofty roof. The few natives
who, from any cause, have venturcd within
the portal and beheld these apparitions, brought
back such wild tales to their credulotiS COM
panions. that even the neiyhborhood of the en-
chanted mountain has been carefully avoided
especially at niyhtfall, and people spoke of it
in whispers.
But several celebrated travellers have visited
the place; and few years ago Il great caval-
catlc of Mexican notables, headed by the Pre>i-
dent, made pilgrimage here, meeting with
numerous accidents and adventures. Perhaps
the best description of the cavern ever given is
that by one of this party, Senor Antonio Cubas,
"a Weil-known Mexican Scographer and stais-
tician--in his Una excursion dc Ia Cavcrna
de Cacahuamilpa.'
As is usually the case, the information con-
cerning the cavern that can be obtained in its
vicina.c is scanty indeed. the people there
abouts being interested only in keeping at IL re-
spectful distance. But Mexico is not singular
in this respect. In the colrse of my life |
have met many kentuckians, andhavin" al
ways great curiosity concerning the one Won
der Of that StatC-i have sail to each and
every one of them. II suppose you have
visited the Mammoth Cave:" And, actually
have never yet seen person from Kentucky
who replied in the affirmative. hougi most Of
them avowed their intention of 1oiny the cave
"somctimet' 1t is the way of the world. You
know, to put of investigating things close at
hand. though others cross the OCEAN to s.e
them. Even General Morgan. late American
Minister in Mexico. confeSseS to having tlWcIt
long within twenty miles Of the Pyramids of
Click. yet left Egypt without ever having seen
them.
('uar a,.,,., oi,,},
dcavored to ,lissuade us from making the Jour
ney, telling US dscouraging tales of
"PERII.S By SEA AND PERIIS BY LAND"
in the shape of rushing rivers to be fortlcd and
robbers hidden in lonely gorges of the noun
tains; but we long ago learned that those
expeditions which are easy of accomplishment,
and which all the world has made, are general
ly not worth the making. With considerable
difficulty, we at length induced several amiably-
disposed Americans-eNes. like ourselves
to make up party, which was subsequently
joined by two young German ladies, resident
Italian and his wife, and il charming uerican0.
attended by several of her male relatives.
The caverns can be reached only on horse
back; and as no hotel accommodations are OBJ
ialnah!c, blankets. provisions. ct cetera. for
several days had to be ''toted," besides lot Of
colorcd lights and fireworks that our Mexican
friends insisted upon taking. with which to
illuminate the crystal walls of the intcrior--to
the imminent danger of the donkey upon whose
back they were packed, and which we momen-
tarliN expected to see ascending >kyWard in
small particles, like the dog Sycamore that
swallowed the tre-cracker
AS mentioned in Il previous letter. this Old.
Old city lies about four thousand feet above the
sea. ON spur of land jntting out from the
mountains, surrounded by two hNrIuHrUS, or
ravnns, Of great length and dizzy depth. BE
rausc of its natural situation. The ancient in
habitant> (when the town wa known aS
siIcrcd themselves perfectly secure from ihc
assaults of any enemy. And indeed Cuall.ltla-
hllac was one of the most difficult captures Of
al the spanish invasion. held in the embrace
of these two stupendou> ytleyS and backr'!
by an impossible mountain. While the rest of
Mexico was falln" into the hands Of the
greedy C""IHiStddnrHs, its citizens (the peace
ful Tlahuica>), went calmly about their hilSi-
ness, believing their ancient stronghold i'm
prc@nabe. But alas!
THEY RECkONED WITHOUT THEIR HOST,
having had no previous experience with llrS-
tlan' warriors. think it was in the spring of
lo2l, While preparations We're going on for the
final investment of the Aztec capital, that the
Spanish army, purely for the pleasure OF the
conquest and the hope of finding gold. con-
cludcd to attack unoifenIlng Cuernavaca. For
Il long time they could make no headway, bcin"
completely batfled by the deep ravineS that en-
compa>sed the town. At last, while searching
in vain for a bridge or means to make one.
some of the soldiers found two trees, which
had happened to fall across the narroweSt por-
ton of the abySmal channel i'll such Il way that
their topmast branches rested insecurey on
one on, side and their roots on the other. over
this pcrous pathway the intrepid ra>cals
craWlcd. son al! fours,' at the risk OF their
lives, rallied on the other si,lc. and captured
the astonished town.
confess never could believe this story. as
told by the old chronicerS until had viewed
ht, riI.h rl,a1,S pt
where the Conqnerors crossed. Then readily
saw that, though hazardous it was possible for
them to have accomplished it /; but no one need
doubt that, as the books say. numbers of them
fell eff, through dizziness. and We're dashed in
pieces on the rocks below.
The eastern chasm is narrowe>t, being net
over thirty feet in width, but fully eighty feet
deep. 1t is now spanncd by the IuaintcSt
structure that ever bridged a barranca "a
double arch of solid mason work, the lower
one carrying an acque,lllct. from which water
trickles continually down the steep, fern-hun"
walls of stone and patters into the stream far
below. The southern rayine cannot be less
than two hundred feet deep, and between its
narrow walls Il thread of silver tumbles to the
stony bottom.
We managed to reach this cascade though
somewhat dizzy in the head and shaky il the
''underpinning'- edging cautiously along a
narrow cliff and looking out through the fleecy
veil of water from deep cave worn by the
constant dripping behind it. They tell US that
POOR EMPRESS CARLOTrA
came often to this very spot when She lived in
Cuernavaca and once she frightened her at
tendants by walking boldly along i tiny shelf
of rock far beyond point of safety. Above
tower gigantic walls of basalt and below
yawns the gravelly BOWL two hundred feet
deep and fifty feet across, into which the
stream falls.
Well, we crossed the southern barlanca one